


More than a Slimeulation

by VoidLeviathan



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Accidental meeting, Anxiety, Curiosity, Fluff, Gordon has bad anxiety itll be more obvious later, I seriously don't know like, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Science, Slime Rancher AU, because its a simple starter intro thing, falling, simulations, what to add in here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:53:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24921118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VoidLeviathan/pseuds/VoidLeviathan
Summary: Gordon notices someone within the Slimeulation.A glitch maybe? Something more advanced than the glitch slime he thinks.This is until he runs into that someone later in a different area.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

Gordon didn’t particularly favor doing any jobs within the Far, Far Range that required him doing something dangerous, but he couldn’t really ever argue with his friends whenever they offered him something. He did enjoy working with slime science and he certainly didn’t want to miss out in anything advanced that the others had been working on.   
  
Which was always what led him back to going through Darnold’s damn Slimeulation time and time again. Despite how many head aches and close calls the thing gave him, Darnold (and sometimes Tommy) always had a good reward after in regards to the science aspect of things. A advanced bee drone and a chicken cloner (Gordon was still trying to wrap his head around that one) were the last two offerings they had given him.   
  
And the more time he spent in the Slimeulation, the closer they seemed to be in figuring out where these glitches were coming from.   
  
However there seemed to be one glitch Gordon couldn’t quite figure out. A glitch that appeared time and time again but he never thought to interact with. A person. From a distance they looked to be wearing an aviator helmet and one of the 7Zee offered coats.   
  
Maybe they were another rancher?   
But how could another rancher have gotten in here without Darnold’s permission?   
Another Slimeulation user perhaps?   
  
“Hey Darnold? Its just the glitch slime that are the problem in this place...right?”   
  
“Yes. They’re all I’ve noticed so far anyway. With how unstable the Slimeulation tends to be, there could always be other bugs.”   
  
“Can the Slimeulation like- I don’t know, glitch out and create people?”   
  
“What? No?” Darnold gave the other a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”   
  
“I don’t know I...its like theres this guy there? He hasn’t tried to interact with me or anything but I see him. Hes just there sometimes. I don’t even think hes collecting the glitch slime at all? More just...hanging around…”   
  
“The fuck are you on about?” Gordon groaned as Bubby and Coomer stepped through the teleporter for the lab.   
Fantastic.   
Just who he wanted while he was talking with Darnold.   
  
“Gordon says he’s been seeing someone else in the Slimeulation! Might be a new discovery.”   
  
“Might be Gordon going insane!” Coomer laughed, “No one else but us can get into that thing. Only machine for the Slimeulation is Darnold’s here.”   
  
“Alright but what if-”   
  
“Are you sure you didn’t hit your head on anything mister Freeman?” Tommy looks worried. Maybe Gordon did hit his head on something, maybe it was just lack of sleep from the last few days. “You might want to rest.”   
  
“I-” defeated, Gordon simply shrugged with a heavy sigh, “I guess you’re right it might just be my imagination.”   
  
“Well I think you’ll be happy to hear that we’re pretty much wrapped up for this afternoon. If you want to go and rest you’re more than welcome to Gordon.”   
  
“Yeah, right. I’m headed to the Ancient Ruins if any of you need me then. You know which spot.”   
  
“Goodbye, Gordon!” Coomer chimed.   
  
Gordon simply waved, taking the teleport back home and a second straight to the ruins. He needed to clear his head.   
  
Maybe drawing a few slime alone would help him.   
  
Maybe…  
  
…Until hes interrupted by a certain someone collecting the echo.


	2. Benrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Benrey."
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "You were talking to yourself like some weirdo. M' names Benrey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Googles telling me theres no problems in this writing but I know there is so when Im not on my phone I'll go ahead and fix em!
> 
> So terribly sorry this chapter took WAY longer than I intended for it to fhdjdn

There was always a calming aura within the Ancient Ruins that had Gordon frequently coming back to rest within their walls. Maybe it was the fact that the ruins were one of the coolest areas near him in the Far, Far Range. Or maybe it had something to do with the lack of harmful slime and the constant flow of fresh water. Whatever it may be, Gordon loved it. Loved finding small hidden away areas to sit and relax in it, maybe even draw just a bit.

It was his favorite.

He always wished the ranch had been placed here rather than in the Dry Reef, as pretty as the other area was in its own way.

With careful maneuvering the rancher re-opened the gate within The Transition and made his way deeper into the lower parts of the ruins. The usual area he chose to relax was the pools, so he figured he'd stop by there after work to see if any new puddle slime and showed up. He also had a few drills to stop at and unload.

However Gordon wouldn't be doing any of what he planned until he got his chance to properly sit down and finish his sketch study of the puddle slime in their preferred habitat.

He hadn't realized just how much time had passed while he spent his hours sketch away. Something about the ruins always did that to him. Always made him forget where he was well into the early hours of the next day. Usually it was a slime bumping him that snapped him from his thoughts.

Today 

It was a person

A figure who felt familiar yet so unfamiliar at the same time.

Gordon only caught a glance from his peripheral view, but the movement was enough to spike his anxiety as well as his longing for a proper adventure.

So he hastily stood up. Placing his since forgotten sketchbook in his pocket and loading up his vac-pack with a vile of lava dust for quick protection.

His brain told him it was simply a tarr who managed to escape the pools and make its way up the stairs, but tarr couldn't access the door like other ranchers could, so that was out of the question.

Maybe a hen-hen? Could hen-hen access doors? 

It honestly could have been a quantum slime simply playing tricks on his brain. Frankly the more he thought about it the more he hoped it _was_ any one of these things and not something undiscovered.

Unfortunately all these thoughts found the poor rancher stepping directly of the path side and falling further and further down to the ocean.

What a great day was it to forget the jet-pack installment of his vac-pack right?

With a loud yelp, Gordon braced himself for the heavy impact of the Slime Sea. Fully ready for the thick waters to consume him until someone eventually came to his rescue.

The impact never came.

"What?"

"Yo! You uh- you shouldn't...what are you a noob rancher or something? Idiot trying to swim in the sea?"

What? Wait... _what?_

"Fucking excuse me?"

Gordon's thoughts screamed danger and to try and run, but due to the current position he was in (i.e. being held upside-down by his legs) he couldn't exactly do that. All he could do was glare at whoever held onto him.

"Cringe rancher don't got a jet pack? Some kinda idiot who doesn't use one?"

"Who the hell- put me down!"

"Alright." The stranger let go of his leg. Gordon should have suspected the demand would send him plummeting back down to the sea once more, only to be stopped yet again just inches away from its surface.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"You said let you go."

"I DIDN'T MEAN- Can you- can you fucking let me go on one of the bridges!"

The stranger did as told with no amount of grace. The extra weight of Gordon clearly putting a strain on their jet-pack as the struggled to pull him up without running out of energy. He dropped Gordon equally not-so-gracefully with a thud, landing himself gently a small distance away knowing the other would probably attempt to punch him for his earlier antics.

It took Gordon himself a brief moment to reorient his senses and stand without feeling like he was going to fall. All senses quickly snapping back once his eyes landed again on the stranger. The oh so familiar stranger with his helmet and big coat and...did his helmet have antenna on it? Where had he seen that before? The thing that stood out the most, however, was the mans off colored eyes. His right a light green and his left a soft blue.

_Where did Gordon see him before?_

"You uh..you gunna take a picture? Probably last longer."

"What?"

"You're staring bro."

Then it hit Gordon. Like the weight of the entire sea had taken over his body. He knew why this man was familiar.

"You're the fucking Slimeulation glitch!"

"Wh- huh? No?? I'm right...what?"

"The stupid..the asshole I keep seeing in Darnold and Tommy's Slimeulation! The one who keeps letting my damn glitch slime get a- do you- how are you even _here?_ " Gordon ran a hand roughly through his hair. He didn't have the energy for this. He didn't even want to think about how this guy managed to get into the Slimeulation in the first place. His day was stressful enough as it was and he didn't need more added to it yet here he was with some stranger whose name he didn't even-

"Benrey."

"What?"

"You were talking to yourself like some weirdo. M' names Benrey."

"Oh...okay? That doesn't explain how you-"

"What you aren't going to tell me your name? Cringe."

Why did he talk like that? With such an infuriating tone? Gordon wasn't sure if he even wanted to see this guy...Benrey he said his name was...again.

"Its Gordon Freeman, I live just south of here in the Dry Reef. I'm...I've lived there for _years_ actually. Who- when the hell did you get here?"

"Sorry, can't tell you that. Its classified."

"Class- _what?_ The fuck does that even-"

Gordon couldn't even manage to finish his sentence before Benrey started to take off. His jet-pack flicking on and lifting him a little above the furious rancher.

"Gotta uhh...go do some stuff. Sorry, real busy. All kinds of important business. Nothing you'd understand."

"Wh- YOU CANT JUST L- aand there he goes…" Gordon grumbled, watching the other fly off in a fit of laughter. Much to his confusion, rather than seeing Benrey fly off to any safe area within the Far, Far Range, he seemed to have headed to the portal entrance of the Glass Desert. As much as Gordon wanted to follow, his curiosities screaming to go after the man, his unfortunate fear of the desert told him otherwise. 

So he promptly composed himself, letting out one last heavy sigh and making the long trek back home with more than a million thoughts running through his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is Enby-Crow! I post art for this au near frequently so if you wanted to stop by n talk about it (or check out everyone's outfits) feel free to do so!

**Author's Note:**

> Heugh this first chapter isn't fantastic because its just a starter but things should pick up a bit better as I go on. I haven't decided yet if I want these to just be a small series of one-shots or if I want it to be a whole big fic so like....we'll see...idk....we have to see where it goes.
> 
> enby-crow is the tumblr yo.


End file.
